Book Reviews List
15 Young Adult Recommended Reads
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| Image credit: Christin Hume via Unsplash |
The
setting is 1939 Nazi Germany where a young girl, Leisel lives with a foster
family. She is not Jewish but her foster
family hides a Jewish man in their home.
Death surrounds Leisel, in fact, Death is the narrator. Leisel is illiterate but coming upon that
knowledge her foster father Hans teaches her the alphabet and together they
read the first book Liesel steals – it will not be the last time she steals a
book. The book is presented as part
historical fact and fantasy. The themes
of the book places high value in human connection, in words, and in storytelling.
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| Image Credit: Freddie Marriage Via Unsplash |
This
book is about a seventeen year old cancer patient, Hazel, and a cancer survivor,
Augustus, who meet at a cancer support group. They fall in love but Hazel knows
that this is doomed, and in a self-fulfilling prophecy it does not end well. There are themes in the book about physical
suffering and pain but also the emotional toll that this takes. There is also the underlying story of never
giving up, and perhaps more telling, of enjoying life however it is that it
finds you.
4. The boy in the striped pajamas by John Boyne.
This
story is about nine year old boy, Bruno who lives in Nazi Germany with his
family, whose father is a high-ranking military officer. When his father receives a promotion and they
must move away to the countryside and Bruno finds himself in a desolate
household without friends. In his house
there are poorly fed and clothed Jewish people who are servants, but that is
the extent of his interaction until by chance he finds a long fence with people
on the other side. One day on that fence
he meets a boy about his age and they spark a friendship. Bruno is quite innocent and has no idea that
this is a Jewish boy, that this is a concentration camp, and more poignantly,
what happens here. This story is a historical fiction, it is
suspenseful, and has an ending with several twists and turns.
This
book is about America in a different type of system in which there are twelve
districts. Sixteen year old Katniss
wakes up on a day of reaping her district is holding Tributes, in which a boy
and a girl aged twelve to eighteen are selected for a televised event called
Hunger Games. The goal of the game is
that each contestant kills each other until the last one is left standing. The
victor gets to return home, and gets a reward, namely food. The reason for the games is used as a
punishment and a reminder of when the thirteenth district organized an uprising
against this government. The story is
narrated by Katniss who is also the heroine.
Major themes of this book deal with identity, manipulation, deception,
and rebellion.
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This
book is about a youth named Thomas who wakes up in a place called Glade. Upon arriving and waking up in a metal
elevator he realizes he has no recollection of how he got to this place. The Glade is encased by high concrete
walls. Beyond the wall there is is a
Maze and is filled with hideous creatures, he knows that no one has made it
through there alive. Once a week they
receive food and supplies through this elevator and one new boy to add to the
Glade, but one day something different happens.
The elevator has brought a girl, and a message. What happens next is a story of survival,
camaraderie, and of courage.
This
novel by John Green is a fictional story about a boy named Miles who is sent to
a small boarding school in Alabama. He
forges a close-knit friendship with a small group including Chip, Takumi, and
the beautiful girl, Alaska. Miles, who
has been nicknamed Pudge begins to fall in love with Alaska, but she in
unavailable as she has a boyfriend at Vanderbilt University. The story culminates in the death of Alaska,
and the boys search for clues regarding the circumstances surrounding her
death. Because the death of Alaska is
pivotal to the plot there are themes of grief and of suffering, but there is
also of coming of age notion as the boys take on more mature perspectives.
This
novel takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which citizens have no
personal freedoms or free will and in which everyone falls into a faction which
expects one to fulfill a certain role in that society. Everyone here is tested
to determine which of five factions to which they belong. The
novel follows a sixteen-year old girl named Beatrice “Tris” who tries to
navigate through this world which has marked her as “Divergent.” Divergent is outside the five factions. There are themes surrounding individuality,
identity, conflict with adult authorities, personal freedoms and the lack
thereof, and of coming of age within societal structures.
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| Image Credit: Colin Avery Via Unsplash |
The Giver is written from an eleven-year old’s point of view. The setting is in a futuristic society which is feeling the consequence or effect of some failed prior environment. This society is highly organized, following a set of stringent laws, even upholding to a strange set of norms in which everyone is devoid of emotions or feelings. Everyone has a job which is assigned when they turn twelve, which is where Jonas steps in as he is anticipating his ceremony and the assignment he will receive. It turns out Jonas has been given the honored position of Receiver of Memories, the person who receives memories from a time before this society came to be. After this he embarks on a journey, leaving this community as he believes he is meant to be “Elsewhere.” There are recurring themes in this book about rules, obedience, rituals, and memories, and individuality. This book is the recipient of a Newbery Medal.
This
novel follows the life of twelve-year old Esperanza, a Mexican-American
girl. She moves into a house on Mango
street in Chicago, which is an improvement from the apartment which they just
left behind. Even though there is pride in taking on this home as it is the
first they own, it turns out it is not all that she hoped. Her house is small and run down, and she
realizes she lives in a poor segregated area, known as the barrio. The story is a coming of age as it follows
Esperanza through her physical and emotional maturation, while she creates her
belief systems by making poignant observations of her poor circumstances and
the complex family structures in her neighborhood. Esperanza realizes that she wants to leave
this place and finds that her writing might be a way out of Mango Street.
This
novel is about two families living in a wealthy, planned community known as Shaker
Heights. The Richardsons, a couple with
successful careers and their four children thrive in this suburb. Elena Richardson is the mother who embodies
this community and who plays by the rules.
After some years of moving around a mother-daughter duo, Mia and Pearl, moves
into this planned community by renting an apartment owned by the
Richardsons. The two families intertwine
as the story follows the young Pearl, who is drawn to the stability of Elena
which is much in contrast to her own mother Mia. The story climaxes when the Richardsons set
out to adopt a Chinese-American baby and the custody battle divides the
town. The themes of this novel surround
class structure, of conformity versus individuality, and of past secrets.
This
novel follows the life of Young Ju who emigrates with her family at the age of
four from South Korea to southern California.
The story follows Young Ju’s transformation from childhood into young
adulthood when she is on the verge of her college entry. The novel begins with Young Ju’s expectations
on an airplane ride where in the soaring up the sky she believes that going to
America is like going up to heaven. However,
her myths are dispelled as we follow her experiences, as she is torn between
two cultures, the one she lives by at home and the one she is acclimating to.
In addition to this adjustment, her parent’s marriage is dwindling, their
family struggles with finances and her father is an alcoholic. There are themes
of coming into one’s identity, and of finding strength. This book has received
the Printz Award.
This
novel follows the life of seventeen-year old Natasha who finds out her family
is being deported to Jamaica. On the day
she is to be deported she meets Daniel, a Korean-American boy and sparks fly
between them, and to add to that they have many commonalities including their
struggles with their fathers, and the expectations placed on them over their
future. In the story, Natasha also puts it upon herself to find a way to stop
the deportation. The novel has themes
about God, fate, and love.
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This
award-winning novel is about a group of British boys stranded on an uninhabited
island and their attempt to self-govern.
It follows the elected leader of the boys, Ralph, who embodies the
charisma of a leader, and Piggy, who is nicknamed after his weight but is the
brains of the group. Jack is the
militant and hunter of the group and has an aversion to Ralph’s leadership and
plans a mutiny. This novel examines the
nature of humans, the innate craving of power, and the idea of savagery versus
a civilized nature.
This
novel follows freshman Melinda Sordino who because of calling the police during
a party is ostracized by peers. Melinda
is outcast and eventually stops speaking, finding solace in an art class. No
one knows that Melinda experienced a rape at that party and her rapist is a boy
who stills attends her school. Due to
this she is unable to verbalize her trauma and withdraws, experiences
depression and thus eventually stops speaking.
In a class she befriends a boy who encourages her to speak up for
herself. She then faces circumstances in
which she must stand up for herself and regains her ability to speak. This novel is considered a problem novel with
is realism and storyline of rape and trauma.
